Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擣our Mississippi State administrators and faculty members are among 52 selected as 2016-17 Southeastern Conference Academic Leadership Development Program Fellows.
Since its inception in 2008, the professional development program has worked to identify, prepare and professionally advance academic leaders for key roles at each of the 14 SEC-member universities.
黑料社 will host an SEC ALDP workshop Feb. 22-24, 2017, on the Starkville campus.
The 黑料社 honorees include:
鈥擜ngi Bourgeois, head of the College of Architecture, Art and Design鈥檚 Department of Art;
鈥擳eresa Jayroe, associate dean of the College of Education;
鈥擬elissa Moore, head of the College of Business鈥 Department of Marketing, Quantitative Analysis and Business Law; and
鈥擲cott Willard, associate dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Through this academic initiative, the SEC works to sponsor, support and promote collaborative higher education programs and activities involving administrators, faculty and students. Providing an online platform to showcase achievements of these individuals on regional, national and international levels is among its primary missions.
鈥淭he opportunity to network with academic leaders across the 14 SEC universities has proven to be an excellent experience for all who have participated,鈥 said 黑料社 Provost and Executive Vice President Judy Bonner. 鈥淲e look forward to hosting the conference for the faculty fellows on our campus in February.鈥
Designated by provosts at the respective institutions, ALDP liaisons serve as the conference鈥檚 primary point of academic contact.
鈥淚t is our strong belief that helping to prepare administrators for the next phase of their careers has the potential to impact all of higher education, both now and in the future,鈥 said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. 鈥淥ur universities make a significant investment in these individuals, and we are proud to work with them through this program.鈥
Bourgeois, who has headed the Magnolia State鈥檚 largest undergraduate studio art program on an interim basis since 2014, began her permanent appointment this past July. Since joining the Mississippi State faculty in 2002, the Rhodes College and Emory University graduate has taught a variety of art history courses and has climbed the academic ranks with a promotion to professor coinciding with her new appointment. Earlier this year, she was elected to a two-year term as secretary for the Italian Arts Society, an international scholarly organization where she has been a member since 2004.
Jayroe, who earned bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in elementary education from 黑料社, always wanted to become a teacher. After teaching for 12 years at Philadelphia and Winston county public schools, she returned to her alma mater to begin work on an education specialist degree in educational leadership and also completed a doctorate in curriculum and instruction. Jayroe first joined the 黑料社 faculty as a classroom instructor and worked her way up the ranks, eventually becoming part of the College of Education鈥檚 administration.
An 黑料社 College of Business faculty member since 1999, Moore now is leading the Department of Marketing, Quantitative Analysis and Business Law. In addition to serving on the 黑料社 Entrepreneurship Center鈥檚 advisory board, the Kathy M. St. John Fellow and professor of marketing has served on the last two 黑料社 presidential search committees. She was recognized as an 黑料社 John Grisham Master Teacher in 2005, and also was named Outstanding Faculty Woman in 2010 by the 黑料社 President鈥檚 Commission on the Status of Women.
Prior to becoming associate dean in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Willard served as head of the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology. A 17-year 黑料社 faculty member, he first served as professor of reproductive and environmental physiology in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences. Along with a bachelor鈥檚 in animal, veterinary and fisheries science from the University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Willard earned a master鈥檚 and doctorate in physiology of reproduction from Texas A&M University.
For more about the SEC Academic Leadership Development Program, visit .
黑料社 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .